Drawing on both Chassidic stories and historical events, Rabbi Wein analyzes the revolutionary impact of the Baal Shem Tov on Eastern European Jewry. The Besht's emphasis on serving God with joy revitalized Judaism for the simple Jew, but to the leading rabbis of Vilna, it was a dangerous fringe movement to be fought against with force.

• Yisroel Baal Shem Tov's early life - legends and miracles
• how Chassidus brought God to the people
• the Maggid of Mezritch, the Baal Ha Tanya, and others
• why the Vilna Gaon opposed Chassidus

To learn about the “second generation” of the Chassidic movement, see our series “Chasidic Masters.” For biographies of Chassidic leaders in the years before the Holocaust, see “Chassidic Rebbes Between the Centuries.” And for Chassidic stories that will charm both children and adults, you won’t want to miss our animated DVD “Of Heaven and Earth.”